Determination of some quality and functional characteristics of gelatin extracted from chicken skin

In this study, chicken skin was used for gelatin extraction under predetermined extraction conditions. Some of the quality and functional characteristics of the resultant gelatin was investigated in comparison with commercially available gelatins from different sources. In this regard; gel strength, viscosity, gelling and melting temperatures, water holding and fat binding capacity, foaming and emulsion characteristics were evaluated. Based on the results obtained, chicken skin gelatin showed similar quality and functional characteristics as commercial gelatins in general although some of the parameters were lower in chicken skin gelatin mostly due to insufficient isolation of gelatin and the presence of high amount of impurities in the extracted gelatin under laboratory conditions. While the most of the commercial gelatins showed a gel strength over 400 g, gel strength of chicken skin gelatin was about 300 g. Similarly, its viscosity was lower compared to that of commercial gelatins while its gelling and melting temperatures were practically the same. It is concluded that gelatin extraction under laboratory conditions may require further isolation and purification steps to remove impurities, which greatly interfere with the quality and functional characteristics. On the other hand, chicken skin was proven to be an alternative raw material in gelatin manufacturing for a high quality gelatin when its fat and water was able to be effectively and sufficiently separated